Why wait? SaaS-delivered data management for the pace of change

It's incredible to think how much can change in a year. The past year has seen unprecedented digital transformation, with 90 percent of companies reporting cloud usage higher than planned over the past year, according to the Flexera 2021 State of the Cloud Report. Into this new reality, Microsoft and longtime partner Commvault announced an agreement focused on Azure and Metallic—a software-as-a-service (SaaS) venture established to meet the growing need for agile, cloud-based data management. International Data Corporation (IDC) has predicted data-protection-as-a-service (DPaaS) will surpass traditional data replication and protection services as early as this year, which means that in a changing world, companies need mature cloud-based solutions now. There’s no better time to look back and ahead to how Commvault and Metallic, together with Azure, are leading in the evolution of the data management industry—with an enterprise-grade SaaS solution. 

On May 11, you can also learn more about the benefits of SaaS-delivered data management and the innovation Metallic and Azure are driving, by registering for the joint webinar, Future-Proofing your Cloud Data Management.

Data management-as-a-service (DMaaS) needs breadth and flexibility

Many companies have turned recent challenges into opportunities to modernize and accelerate digital transformation. According to the IDG Cloud Computing Study 2020, 59 percent of companies reported their IT environments would be either mostly cloud (43 percent) or all cloud (16 percent) 18 months from now—up from just 38 percent.

Cloud solutions can help companies stay one step ahead of the pace of change, but those solutions need to accommodate the demands of hybrid environments. As companies migrate to Azure, modernize apps, navigate hybrid IT, and adopt containers, SaaS-delivered data management solutions can accompany them along the way—but they need to deliver breadth and flexibility. To meet these needs, Metallic—built on Azure—has sped the delivery of new backup-as-a-service (BaaS) innovations.

Over the past six months alone, these innovations have included:

◉ A portfolio of services that has more than doubled, with new offerings to protect workloads from Kubernetes to SAP HANA, on-premises, or in Azure, as well as a managed Azure cloud storage service for Commvault customers.

◉ Tripled country availability—with Metallic now available in 24 countries across the globe.

◉ New customer-requested features—including eDiscovery, fast and flexible restore of Microsoft Teams data for Office 365 backup, and unique edge management capabilities.

◉ Distinctions including a Best of VMWare award, the Gold Stevie in Cloud Storage and Backup, recognition as a DCIG Top 5 Office 365 Backup solution, and being ranked by customers as number one in SaaS Backup on IT Central Station.

◉ Along with new programs to help customers navigate digital transformation—from special offers for educational institutions adopting Office 365, to free Kubernetes data protection for life.

As the world changes, one thing stays the same—the need to simplify IT and continue to do more with less. SaaS-delivered solutions are helping companies move from CAPEX to OPEX, eliminating the need to maintain infrastructure and updates, and simplifying management overhead. Fast-to-market innovation is the hallmark of any successful SaaS solution, but customer outcomes must be the guiding force behind the innovations. Metallic customer use cases run the gamut from endpoint protection to data center modernization, to Office 365 adoption, with just a few examples:

◉ Among the largest banks in the United States, Arvest Bank began the move to the cloud with Office 365 to support a remote workforce, with Microsoft Teams an important driver for productivity. They chose Metallic for its Teams data protection with flexible restore, security, and cost-effective total cost of ownership (TCO) that included Azure storage.

◉ Engineering company Parsons needed to protect sensitive laptop data and turned to Metallic for its simple management. Deployment took 10 to 15 minutes only, and they enjoyed the “set it and forget it” design.

◉ The Nevada Department of Transportation saw the opportunity to modernize its data management strategy with cloud-based protection for VMs. With Metallic built on Azure, they developed a SaaS strategy that would simplify management while maintaining their strict security requirements. Jeff Day, Systems Technical Supervisor, State of Nevada Department of Transportation, noted “We are able to have all of our backups in the cloud now, and were even able to leverage our existing Azure storage. With Metallic, we no longer have to manage and maintain physical hardware which makes us financially and even technically more efficient.”

Following the most recent announcements from Metallic, Enterprise Strategy Group Sr. Validation analyst Vinny Choinski said it well, “The rise in both remote work and potential data risk is driving strong demand for cloud-based data protection solutions—with the continued expansion of Metallic’s SaaS Plus portfolio, Commvault has created an impressive backup-as-a-service ecosystem—a comprehensive range of offerings supporting enterprise-wide workloads to the backup target of choice, whether it’s on-premises, in the cloud, or to the HyperScale X appliance.”

Source: microsoft.com